Thursday, August 13, 2009

Comfort Zone Be Gone!

It is amazing how often we are afraid to step out of our comfort zone. This is a task we should attend to daily. I found myself doing it twice today, and I am sure I had chest pain as a result, LOL.
First, I took some time out to learn about something I have always avoided. 
I spent the early hours of today at a seminar run by the fabulous Jennifer Moreton & Alexandra Dalzell of ABN-AMRO Craigs here in Christchurch. It was a seminar about finance, shares, bonds, fixed interest etc. All those things that usually make my eyes glaze over. However these two made it digestible even at 8am in the morning. I left there understanding allot more and feeling less afraid of opening the finance pages of the paper. I really went out of my comfort zone here, as I usually avoid "money" stuff like the plague.
This takes me to the second event. That was presenting a Business Plan to my fantastic husband. He is a CEO of a large company so knows his stuff and as much as I love being married to him, talking finance with view to getting finance for a new project with him really is not high on my list of comfortable activities.  I made it with the need for only one tissue, to wipe a stray stress tear. Oh and yes my eyes got that glazed over feeling when Excel spreadsheets, profit & loss, Cash-flow and projections where being talked about. 
 I even left after working on things a little more understanding some of the finer points of these financial terms that I have thus far managed to be ignorant about. 
 This new project is way bigger and potentially more lucrative than anything I have done before and requires finance to get it rolling, so I have spent today getting out of my financial comfort zone and learning some great things.
You know what it really is not as scary as I thought.
My challenge to you is to spend a little time today learning about something you have managed to avoid or have been afraid of for a long time. 
I thank my many Maths teachers over the years who never saw fit to pass me once for my fear of numbers, maths and spreadsheets. 
However I thank Jennie, Alex, DH and Kathy for making life a little simpler for me today.
Onwards and upwards, Tally ho!!

1 comment:

Eliza said...

I can certainly relate to eyes glazing over on all things financial. I am the keeper of the family budget, and I love that, but start talking investments,loans, etc, and I tune right out.

I had an experience with my Mr Very Right similar to your discussions with your hubby. I am starting my own business, and I have no experience with what it takes to get the client to actually commit. In other words, how to write a response to their enquiry to really grab them.

Mr Very Right used to run an extremely sucessful and profitable business so I asked him for advice. I could feel myself getting anxious as he was giving me suggestions because it is soooo out of my comfort zone. And I am pretty sure the panic came through in my voice a couple of times. But a) he is a very patient man and b) I knew I really needed to learn from him so I kept taking deep breaths. In the end, I felt way more comfortable and have a good grasp on an approach.